Tomatoes - this is one of the cultures that have long been loved by summer residents, which is grown in almost every garden. But sometimes it is not possible to grow tasty and healthy vegetables, they turn black, dark spots appear on still green fruits. Why is this happening?
Experts say that this problem is usually associated with improper care, or with plant diseases. It is necessary to analyze the situation and understand the causes of damage to the fruit.
How to determine the cause of blackening?
An initial examination of damaged fruits will allow us to establish with precision the cause of the appearance of black spots. It is necessary to pick the fruit with spots and cut it in half at the place of darkening. If there is no juice at the site of damage, and the pulp of the vegetable is compacted, even hard, then we are talking about dry top rot. This disease develops due to excessive salinity of soils, this can be observed in cases where the gardener uses fertilizers too often or makes them too much. In this case, it is recommended to give up any additives and fertilizers for some time to allow the earth to recover, or plant tomatoes in a new place, changing the dosage of fertilizers.
Interesting fact: lack of fertilizer also causes blackening of the fruit and negatively affects the crop as a whole. Scanty soils lead to rapid wilting of the plant, a certain amount of fertilizing with magnesium and boron should be given to the plant in any situation.
Other reasons
Tomatoes require careful care, following all instructions. Even the pits when planting seedlings must be dug to a certain depth, which can vary depending on the variety. If you dig too small holes, the roots of the plant will come to the surface, which will adversely affect its health and fruiting. In this situation, the plant begins to massively take oxygen from the air, it also receives too much moisture, and the fruits spoil on the vine, blacken before ripening.
Blacking Diseases
Tomatoes also get sick, they can be infected by various diseases from surrounding plants. Also, pathogens can be carried with the wind, with compost, they can simply be in the ground. If not only the fruits, but also the leaves, green shoots, stems turn black, this is a very alarming sign. As a rule, we are talking about infection with late blight, which can completely destroy the culture. The causative agents of the disease love moisture, they are activated with increasing humidity, epidemics begin during prolonged rains. Excessive watering can also cause late blight. In this case, it is worth abandoning waterlogging and treating plants with Bordeaux liquid.
What are they doing for prevention?
As a preventive measure, experienced gardeners warn against the possibility of planting the same plants on the same site for several years - the space for planting tomatoes should be regularly updated. This will eliminate soil depletion. Also, you can not plant tomatoes on former potato beds, these plants take the same substances from the soil.In addition, with constant planting on the same bed, the risk of developing late blight increases. It is necessary to correctly divide the space into beds, providing a sufficient distance between them. The ideal interval is 30 cm, between the rows it is worth alternating the distance of 30 and 70 cm. Then the plants will have enough nutrients.
It is necessary to provide a sufficient amount of light, it is also desirable that the space is purged with air. Greenhouses need ventilation. Watering should be carried out not with cold, but with warm water, under the root, and not on the leaves. Shoots need to be tied up, and damaged and old leaves must be removed.
What to do with black tomatoes?
If the tomatoes on the stalks are already blackening, measures must be taken to save the crop. Use various sprayings - garlic, kefir-water, chloride. Watering plants do not continue. Not badly damaged green fruits should be removed, treated with boiling water and put on ripening. Bushes and leaves damaged by the disease must be burned at the stake.
Thus, blackening of tomato fruits can occur due to improper care, as well as due to diseases. If you fertilize properly and competently take care of the plants, you can eliminate such risks. If the fruits turn black due to illness, it is necessary to treat the tomato. Observing all the rules for the maintenance of this vegetable crop, you can get high yields without facing similar risks.